Robert's Market Report

What's available in Philadelphia's public and farmers' markets, from the perspective of a Big Hungry Boy With Word Processor

Saturday, March 24, 2007

More merchant changes: the Pet Lady (pet toys) is gone. Bee Natural will extend its stall into that space, on the opposite side of the seating area nearest Arch Street. As reported last week, Andros has also give up its stall.

The Scrapplefest is set for Saturday, April 21. So far, the RTM has lined up Hatfield as a major sponsor. In his monthly newsletter to merchants RTM General Manager Paul Steinke is asking the merchants to come up with prepared foods featuring scrapple. Like, scrapple ice cream. (Hey, if an ice cream shop in Bar Harbor can do lobster, Bassett's can do scrapple!)

Customer counts through March 4 are running better than five percent ahead of 2006, according to Steinke's newsletter. This year the RTM counted 875,706 vs. 832,500 for the same period last year. Both years represent counts prior to the opening of the Flower Show, but do include other big convention center shows, including the wholesale crafts exhibition which is a large draw.

As of Friday, Iovine no longer offered those one-pound clamshells of Florida strawberries for a buck, though they do have one-pint containers for a dollar. However, O.K. Lee was selling the one-pound packs for only 99 cents.

It's the end of the clementine season. If you find them at all they are likely to be expensive. However, Iovine had a reasonable deal on Spanish mandarins (tangerines): a five-pound box for $4.99. Mexican Altaulfo mangoes are a buck each.

Still a couple of weeks away from seeing ramps. No fiddleheads yet, either, though in some years they appear as soon as early March.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Another vendor has closed shop at the Reading Terminal Market: Andros. I'm told the owner of the prepared food outlet, whose education and background is in financial services, simply got an offer in that industry he could not refuse.

If smoke got in your eyes Saturday at the RTM, it wasn't because of the strains of an old song wafting through the air. A mishap with the roaster at Old City Coffee sent the unappetizing aroma of burnt coffee, along with a lot of smoke, through the market at noontime. It even set off the smoke alarms. I only got furrowed brows and mean stares when I asked one of the OC workers if I could have some extra drark roast.

Still waiting for more definitive signs of spring. The closest I could come was the $1 one-pound clamshells of Florida strawberries at Iovine Brothers. This batch was much more flavorful and sweet than the ones in late January and early February.

Foster's Gourmet Cookware will be closing shop this summer. Ken Foster told me he'll be combining his the RTM shop with his Third Street store (Foster's Urban Homewares) at a new location, Fourth & Market. The 12,000-square foot, single-floor facility will have four times the combined footage of the two stores it replaces. Ken said he'll also have truck bays for his growing web store business.

About Me

Name: Bob Libkind

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

No matter where he travels, Bob investigates local public markets and food purveyors. When he's home in Philadelphia, that primarily means the Reading Terminal Market, but also the Italian Market and various city farmer markets, in season.